Paris 2024 Paralympics: Nigeria table tennis players face tough opponents

Team Nigeria is set for action as the table tennis event of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games begins on Thursday, August 29.

The team has been drawn against formidable British and Chinese opponents in the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles events.

The eagerly awaited draw for the Doubles and Mixed Doubles events in Para table tennis was concluded on Monday at the South Paris Arena, where the intense competition will unfold over 10 thrilling days.

The draw results promise exciting matchups and the first four days of intense competition, highlighting para table tennis as a cornerstone of the Paralympic Games since its debut at the first Paralympics in Rome in 1960.

As one of the eight founding sports—alongside para-athletics, para-swimming, para-archery, snooker, wheelchair fencing, and wheelchair basketball—para-table tennis boasts a rich history that even pre-dates its inclusion in the Olympic Games by nearly three decades.

Kayode Alabi and Faith Obazuaye will compete in the Mixed Doubles event, facing Great Britain’s duo of Joshua Stacey and Bly Twomey.

Meanwhile, Alabi and Victor Farinloye will take on the Chinese pair of Huang Jiaxin and Peng Weinan.

Alabi and Obazuaye will start their campaign from the Round of 32 in the Mixed Doubles, while Alabi and Farinloye will begin their quest for glory in the Round of 16 of Men’s Doubles.